"How many vacancies are there?" Zhizhou Han Zhao asked.
General Judge He Zhengqing said: "We are short of 64,000 yuan of money and 8,000 shi of food. All counties have reported that wealthy households have been forced to donate, but they still can't make up the amount."
"Where is the insufficient amount? The county officials took too much," Han Zhao sighed, "Oh, let's start the shipment at the beginning of next month. Regardless of whether we have collected the amount, we will first transport the money and grain to Xiangyang."
He Zhengqing said: "The imperial court is too hasty in recruiting, and I'm afraid that all parties will not be able to turn over enough. This is not the case for our Jinzhou family."
"Maybe." Han Zhao could only think this way.
After Wang Fu became prime minister, it was the first nationwide conscription, and his experience in the search was still somewhat insufficient. He only issued overall tasks, but did not say how many husbands should be recruited along the way, how much each husband should pay, and no one was sent to supervise.
Historically, he had experience the second time.
At that time, the land of Yanyun was obtained, and blood was drawn and donated in three places in Hebei, Hedong, and Shandong. However, it became unbearable within a year.
Therefore, husbands' money was levied and exempted from all roads in the country, and the detailed payment of each husband was stipulated. Each husband paid thirty guan. Cao ministers were also sent to supervise, and violators would be punished under military law. It was also stipulated that the clan, relatives, ministers, and palace officials,
The temple... no one can escape, everyone has to pay free money.
To put it bluntly, knowing that the common people could no longer squeeze out money, they asked local officials to select fat sheep for slaughter, and Wang Fu collected another 20 million yuan from them.
Han Zhao and He Zhengqing, as the first and second leaders in Jinzhou, get along relatively harmoniously.
It’s not too hard to get money, everyone gets what they want without interfering with each other.
It's a pity that the general environment is not good, and the tasks assigned by the court are too heavy. They don't make much money themselves, but their reputation is worse than that of Li Daochong. There are already widespread complaints among the people in various counties in Jinzhou.
"I heard that Zhu Chenggong is back?" Han Zhao said.
He Zhengqing said: "Those who return to Yangzhou to visit relatives will receive a solar eclipse and amnesty will be granted to the whole world. The person named Zhu will also be demoted from a supervisor to a resettlement. After reporting, he can temporarily return to his hometown. The common people are ignorant, and they all say that he returned to Jinzhou to be a prefect."
Han Zhao thought carefully: "There are frequent thieves in various counties. I heard that Zhu Chenggong is quite famous in Jinzhou. Can you ask him to recruit thieves? It may be better to organize those thieves into gangs and send them home with traveling expenses.
Waste money on sending troops to conquer."
"It's a good idea, but is he willing to help?" He Zhengqing asked.
Han Zhao said: "You can give it a try."
These two people were trying to save trouble, and they actually went to find Ju Ming.
Zhu Ming couldn't laugh or cry: "You want me to recruit thieves? Prefect Han, I am a guilty person."
Han Zhao said: "It is no longer a serious crime to be reorganized and pardoned for resettlement. Nowadays, thieves are causing harm to the local area. If you successfully become a parent in Jinzhou and spread your reputation to the five counties, it will have miraculous effects."
Ju Ming looked hesitant and said over and over again: "Please give me some money and food, and arrange some government officials to be at my disposal."
"Okay," Han Zhao said, "the money is six hundred guan, the grain is one thousand dan, and there are fifty officials in front of the government."
Such a bizarre incident really happened to Ju Ming.
When he called Wang Jia over and told him the specific situation, Wang Jia's expression was extremely wonderful.
Zhu Ming ordered: "You are the head of the government officials in Jinzhou. Send this notice to each county. Each county will send ten government officials with archers from each county to go to the mountains to appease thieves in my name."
.”
Wang Jia really wants to ask, are you really going to rebel?
But I felt it was inappropriate. Maybe I was overthinking it, and Xianggong Zhu did not intend to raise an army.
Wang Jia personally led his people to carry out the mission. He went to various counties to gather archers and then dispersed to work in the countryside. He asked Chief Baojia to deliver a message to the thieves: the former prefect of Jinzhou, Ju Ming, was entrusted by the current magistrate to recruit the thieves with a guarantee of credibility. He was not an unforgivable person.
, you can go to Jinzhou City to surrender, you will be freed from the crime, you will be resettled, and you can also receive money and food to go home.
Ju Ming's signboard was so loud that just a few days later, a group of thieves from Xicheng County came.
There were only a dozen or so thieves in this group. The leader of the thieves knelt down when they saw him: "Second King of Pantuogou, kowtow to Governor Zhu!"
Ju Ming said kindly: "Get up and talk, why are you a thief?"
Wang Er stood up and said: "Our village is poor. We were hit by a disaster a few years ago, and half of the village came to the city to beg for food. My mother died of starvation at that time. Thanks to my husband's food relief, my brother, sister, and I were able to survive."
When I returned home, my husband gave me food rations. I will always remember your kindness to my husband. After my husband left Jinzhou, the officials turned bad. I became a thief because I had no choice but to do so."
Zhu Ming nodded and said: "Since you are willing to surrender, you can trust me and I will not let you suffer. Stay in the camp and make unified arrangements when more thieves surrender. Take your brothers and go get the rations."
"Yes!" Wang Er bowed respectfully.
One after another, more than two hundred thieves came to Zhoucheng.
The remaining ones who didn't come were either too far away or didn't trust the government.
Liu Shiren, Yang Zhi, Sun Li, Zhang Qing, Tu Shen, Zhang Jin and others, together with the village braves from Tiemao Village, sneaked into the city in batches to stay.
Village head Liu Shiren often went to the city, made friends with officials at the prefecture and county levels, and even became very familiar with some scholars. In the name of transporting iron tools, he transported many soldiers and armor to the city without attracting anyone's attention.
The city gate guards didn't even bother to check.
On this day, the magistrate Han Zhao was working in the Yamen, but he heard that Ju Ming had come to see him personally.
"Bring him in." Han Zhao didn't think much.
Bai Sheng entered with an anxious look on his face: "Prefect Han, my father-in-law has important matters to discuss. Please go to Qingfeng Tower for a while."
"What's important? When will you arrive?" Han Zhao asked.
Bai Sheng said: "I don't know what it is. I just said that there will be a banquet at Qingfeng Tower at noon."
Han Zhao said: "I will go there by then."
Bai Sheng resigned and continued to invite other officials.
At almost noon, Han Zhao left the state government office with his entourage. As soon as he left the government office, he met his secretary-general: "Where are you going, Bourne?"
Xu Hou, the observation envoy, said: "Zhu Chenggong held a banquet at Qingfeng Tower."
"Invited Bourne too?" Han Zhao was a little confused.
Xu Hou asked: "Did you also invite the prefect?"
The two of them chatted and walked, but they couldn't figure out what was going on, so they each got into the carriage full of suspicion.
When Han Zhao entered the Qingfeng Building, he found that the entire restaurant had been booked by Ju Ming, and many officials from the Prefectural Court and the General Court had come.
The officials greeted each other and then asked about the situation, but the more they asked, the more confused they became.
Not long after, General Judge He Zhengqing also arrived.
Han Zhao asked: "Does He Dafan know what important matters we have to discuss today?"
He Zhengqing shook his head and said, "Don't you know, the prefect?"
The two looked at each other in confusion, neither of them understanding what medicine Ju Ming was selling in his gourd.
After waiting for a while, officials at the state and county levels had almost arrived.
"Where did those soldiers come from?" Someone's personal attendant exclaimed outside the door.
The rest of the family went out to watch the fun.
I saw about a hundred people, all wearing armor and equipped with swords and guns, trotting towards me.
Judging from his momentum, he is an elite soldier!
Until now, no one had realized what was going to happen.
Even the residents of the city went to the streets to watch the excitement, pointing at the soldiers, guessing that they might be officers and soldiers from other places.
There was too much movement, so Han Zhao and He Zhengqing took the officials out to check.
He Zhengqing speculated: "Isn't it Xiangyang sent here to urge for money and food?"
"Most likely."
Han Zhao nodded and took two steps forward.
When these soldiers approached, Han Zhao noticed that the leader had tattoos on his face. He immediately understood that he was a traitor to the army, and immediately asked: "Are you the Xiang army from Xiangyang? The money and grain from Jinzhou have been loaded on the ship. In two days,
Just transport it out."
Yang Zhi said: "Fellow officials, please return to Qingfeng Tower. My husband will come soon."
"Who is the husband of your family?" Han Zhao asked.
Yang Zhi grinned and replied: "But I am an old acquaintance with Prefect Han."
Han Zhao really couldn't remember which old friend he was, so he went back to the restaurant in confusion, drinking some wine and waiting for his old friend.
Zhu Ming went to the school grounds, followed by nearly a hundred soldiers.
The barracks near the school field are now full of surrendered thieves, and Ju Ming asked them to come to the school field to collect money and food.
Ju Ming distributed money and food first. Although everyone didn't get much, it still made the thieves happy.
Ju Ming asked: "Can you trust me?"
"We surrendered, of course we can trust our husband." Wang Er said.
Zhu Ming added: "It's true that you surrender, but it's false to recruit you. It's just sending a few money and food to send you back to your hometown. I don't want to treat you badly, so I tell the truth. Even if you are recruited into the Xiang Army, you won't have enough to eat.
Are you willing to live that kind of life?"
"No!" More than two hundred thieves shouted.
Ju Ming said: "The emperor in Tokyo only knows how to enjoy himself. He demoted all the good officials and only used treacherous officials as officials, allowing the treacherous officials to plunder the people. Can you tolerate drinking your blood and eating your flesh?"
Another thief leader named Dong Daliang said: "What can I do if I can't bear it? We don't want to be thieves, but the government won't let us live a peaceful life. I surrendered this time because I thought that my husband is a good official and can provide
Let’s arrange an errand to survive.”
Ju Ming said: "There are thieves everywhere now, and the officials are forcing the people to rebel. The emperor does not care about the life and death of the people. If you go back to the countryside, you will not survive this year, but you will not survive next year. Next year's taxes will be even heavier, because the imperial court is at war with the Liao Kingdom.
I persuaded the emperor to be kind to the people, and he took off my official hat. I really couldn't bear to see the people suffering, so I planned to rebel. If I had no eggs, I would go back to the countryside to farm with my money. The next year, I would be taxed heavily by the officials and sold out.
Sons and daughters are sold to get a bite of food. Those who have eggs should follow me and fight into Tokyo to seize the bird's seat!"
As soon as these words came out, all the thieves were shocked, and then became inexplicably excited.
They are all more courageous, after all, even those who are timid will not become thieves.
Now someone is taking the lead in the rebellion, and it is the trustworthy Governor Zhu. It seems that he has found the backbone in an instant.
"Come into Tokyo and take the bird's seat!"
"Come into Tokyo and take the bird's seat!"
"..."
Ju Ming drew his sword and shouted: "Follow me!"
Over at the dock, the Xiang Army infantry and Xiang Army handymen were all organized into the Gang Army to escort money and grain.
They were now loading money and grain onto the ship. More than half of it had already been loaded on the ship, and they would leave for Xiangyang in two days.
Zhu Ming led two teams of local warriors and more than 200 thieves to the North City Gate to control the gate guards, and then rushed to the dock on horseback: "All soldiers, put down their work and gather together to count the number of people!"
There were nearly a thousand people in those Gang troops, half of them were Xiang Army soldiers without combat effectiveness, and the other half were Xiang Army infantrymen who had been drilled by Zhang Gen.
Although Ju Ming has been dismissed from office and although he cannot produce official documents, these Xiang soldiers still gather together honestly.
This chapter has been completed!